Improvement in rigging for fore-and-aft sails



H. H. STETSON. Rigging for Fore and Aft Sails.

Patented Sept. 23, 1879'.

NPEYERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAPHER, WASNINGI'ONv D C.

UNITED STATE-S PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM H. STETSON, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RlGG lNG FOR FORE-AND-AFT SAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 219,831, datedSeptember 23, 1879 applicationfiled July 17, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM H. S'rE'rsoN, of Revere, in the county ofSuifolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements inRigging for Fore-and-Aft Sails, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates -to vessels carrying fore-and-aft sails; and itsobject is to provide means whereby the gaff may be controlled andprevented from swinging laterally with reference to the boom whenlowered; and to this end consists in a down-haul extended from the peakof the gaff downward through a guide of any suitable character locatedupon the boom directly beneath the gaff-peak, so that as the down-haulis drawn upon, it brings and holds the gaff directly over and in linewith the boom.

Peak down-hauls are in general use in connection with fore-and-aftsails; but as ordinarily arranged they are extended from the peak of thegaif inward toward the mast through a guide upon the boom, thearrangement being such that when the gaff is lowered to the boom thedown-haul extends from the peak in a nearly horizontal direction to theguide on the boom. As there is no other means of checkingthe lateralplay of the gaff, it frequently happens in a rough sea or a strongbreeze that the gait, when run down, thrashes violently from side toside athwart the boom entirely beyond the control of the seaman, andgreatly to the peril of the wheel and wheelsman in particular, and ofthe crew in general.

By arranging the down-haul in accordance with my plan these difficultiesare overcome, and the gaff brought at all times within the control ofthe navigator, the down-haul serving to bring the gaff down squarely anddirectly upon the boom and hold it firmly thereto.

Another advantage incident to my construction is, that when it isdesired to shorten sail, or 'to lessen the danger of jibing in a heavywind, the peak of the gaff may be dropped and hauled down and heldobliquely by the downhaul, so as to reduce the operative portion of thesail to a triangular form.

The down-haul may be single or double, and the guides may be constructedand arranged in any suitable manner, provided it extends from the gaffdirectly downward to a guide on the boom.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the fore and main sails of aschooner provided with my improvement, the sails being hoisted to theirfull extent. This view also shows in detached figures the arrangement ofthe guides. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing the gaff down; Fig. 3,a view showing the sail raised and the peak dropped.

A A represent the masts, B B the sails, O U the gaffs, and D D thebooms, all of which will be constructed and arranged as usual, andprovided with the usual halyards and other necessary parts.

E E represent my down-hauls. In the case of the foresail, the top andfoot being of nearly equal width, the down-haul is carried upward fromthe boom through a single" block, a, at the gafi-peak, and thencedirectly downward through a shell or guide, b, on the boom, and inwardalong the latter through suitable guides to cleats c thereon near themast.

The guides 12 are located at the same distance from the mast as thepulley a, so that the down-haul will draw the gaff down squarely upontop of the boom and hold it from moving thereon, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the case of the mainsail, which is, as usual, much wider at the footthan at the top, a double down-haul is used, as shown in Fig. 1, therebeing on each side of the sail a rope I passed from the boom upwardthrough a block or other guide on the gaff, and thence downward in aperpendicular direction through a shell or guide, I), on the boom, andinward along the same toward the mast. The sail extends between the twolines, and is caught and held between them as the gafi' descends. Thisdouble arrangement acts in the same manner and with the same efi'ect asthe single, so far as guiding and holding the gaff is concerned.

As before stated, the essential feature of the invention consists incarrying the down-haul from a point on the gaff directly downward to acorresponding point on the boom-that is to say, a point at the same, orsubstantially the same, distance from the mast.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combinationwith a fore-and-aft sail, a boom, a gaff, and a peak down-haul extendingfrom the gaff in a line parallel with the mast through a guide upon theboom, and adapted to draw the gait down directly and firmly on top ofthe boom, as described and shown.

2. The combination of the boom, the gaff, and the down haul passed fromthe gafl'downward to a guide on the boom directly beneath the gaff-peak,and thence inward along the boom to a cleat or fastening; upon the boomnear the mast, whereby an operator standing at the mast is enabled todraw the gaff down directly and firmly on top of the boom, and toprevent it from playing laterally except with the boom.

3. The combination of the gafl, the boom, the mainsail, and the doublepeak down-haul extending from the gafi' downward on both sides of thesail to points on the boom directly beneath the point at which they areconnected to the gaff.

HIRAM H. STETSON. Witnesses:

JOHN H. RIGGLES, WLLLIAM W. DODGE.

